Few issues are more emotional, and therefore vulnerable to bad analysis, than urban crime risk. Solid research indicates that more compact and mixed development tends to increase neighborhood security. Jane Jacobs was right!

Op-Ed: Implications for Phoenix as Lake Mead Runs Dry

Metro Phoenix has a lot to think about as Lake Mead water shortages become ever more likely. A three-state drought contingency plan may only be a temporary fix for a problem that'll divide cities and stakeholders.

Joanna Allhands discusses a likely future of tough decisions and water disputes for Phoenix as Lake Mead threatens to run dry. While a proposed drought contingency plan (DCP) won't jeopardize the city's primary supply of water, metro Phoenix cities also draw upon sources that may be affected in the event of a shortage.

Allhands writes, "Somewhat overlooked in the discussion is the impact to cities when a shortage is declared under DCP – likely because most of the water on which cities rely is high-priority water that would not be cut in a Tier 1 shortage, regardless of whether DCP is in place."

She goes on, "But metro Phoenix cities also have shares of what's called Non-Indian Agricultural (NIA) water, which is one rung higher on the priority ladder than the so-called Ag Pool water used by Pinal County farmers. That means if the drought contingency plan is approved, a portion of that NIA water would be cut when a Tier 1 shortage is declared [...]"

In the end, Allhands argues, any contingency plan that relies on Lake Mead's uncertain future water reserves is only a "Band-Aid" for a deeper problem, one that present Arizona cities with political questions—and even existential ones.

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